1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention is generally directed to the field of electrical wiring components and wall-mounted enclosures for electrical and electronic wiring devices. More particular this invention relates to wall cover plate assemblies for use with wall mounted electrical and electronic enclosures. Even more particularly, this invention relates to methods and assemblies for protecting electrical and electronic cords and cable from adjacent heat sources and for protecting the electrical and electronic enclosures from being subjected to conductive or corrosive particulate dust.
2. Description of Related Art
The Consumer Product Safety Commission Document #524 reports that electric receptacles (outlets) are involved in 5,300 fires annually which claim 40 lives and injure 110 consumers.
The U.S. Administration Fact Sheet on Home Electrical Fire Prevention (updated Nov. 23, 2004) reports that during a typical year, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses.
Most electrical fires result from problems with “fixed wiring” such as faulty electrical receptacles (outlets) and old wiring. Problems with cords and plugs also cause many home electrical fires. Older homes may have receptacles which are damaged or which, otherwise, have diminished integrity of their electrical insulating materials. Receptacles in this condition may overheat and pose a serious fire hazard. Deterioration accelerates with the repeated application of flowing, heated air. Outlets installed over baseboard heating elements, either electrical, hot water or forced air are continuously subjected to heated air causing diminished integrity of their electrical insulating materials.
Previous modifications to electrical outlet cover plates have been primarily to protect young children from electric shock by limiting access to the energized portions of the outlet. These modifications are also designed to protect young children by preventing the partial removal of a power receiving plug that exposes the electrified prongs to possible contact.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,587 1987 (Lerner) CHILD-PROOF OUTLET COVER; U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,349 (Bennett) DRAFT/FREE SAFETY ENCLOSURE; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,633 (Zelkonsky) ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE PROTECTOR disclose solutions to the problem of controlling access to electrical outlets by young children.
U.S. Design patent 309,093 (Reinholt) COMBINED WALL PLATE AND ELECTRICAL PLUG SAFETY CAP and U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,733 1981 Royer SAFETY COVER FOR ELECTRICAL OUTLETS disclose solutions to the problem of preventing unnecessary plug removal from an outlet.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,638 (Domain) PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR ELECTRICAL OUTLETS; U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,612 (Peckham) OUTLET PROTECTOR; U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,360 (Singh, et al.) SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,407 (Barbic) ELECTRICAL OUTLET SAFETY COVER; U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,740 (Ray, et al.) ELECTRICAL OUTLET SAFETY DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,974 (Pinkerton, et al.) SAFETY COVERS FOR ELECTRICAL OUTLETS; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,907 (Shotey) COVER AND SHEATH FOR ELECTRICAL OUTLETS disclose solutions for access control and plug removal problems jointly.
Although protection of young children is essential, a failure to protect the entire household has been overlooked. None of the above mentioned patents, when installed on outlets located above heated air sources, offers protection for either the outlet or power receiving cord and plug from the diminishing integrity of their electrical insulating materials and combustible effects of repeated, heated air flow.